Kuwaiti MP calls for women’s football tournament cancellation

A Kuwaiti lawmaker has urged the government to cancel plans to hold a football tournament for women.

“Women playing football is unacceptable and contrary to human nature and good customs,” MP Waleed Al Tabtabai said, quoted by Kuwaiti daily Al Wasat. “The government has to step in and drop the tournament.”

Kuwait’s women football association last week said that it was organizing an indoors tournament and urged teams to participate actively.

In March 2010, sports officials and the labour and social affairs minister came under heavy fire from a conservative bloc after the Kuwaiti women’s national team took part in the Third West Asian Women Soccer Tournament in Abu Dhabi.

According to conservative MPs, the women’s participation in the football championship was “illegal and caused a waste of money.” The MPs said that they did not mind the involvement of Kuwaiti women in activities “as long as there was a total respect of norms, values and traditions.”

MP Mohammad Al Hayef initiated the harsh criticism that the inexperienced Kuwaiti women were crushed 17-0 against a much stronger Palestinian squad.

“Women’s matches are part of the chaos to dilute the values and identity of Kuwait,” Al Hayef said.